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He wanted to see that game

A man leans out of a boat, with one arm plunged deep into the water. Two seductive mermaids lure him to them. Soon he’ll be in the sea...

© Audun Hetland: Den leiken ville han sjå
© Audun Hetland: Den leiken ville han sjå
Photo:
Alf E. Andresen

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The man is out rowing, but he has lost an oar on the mermaids’ side of the boat. He has his face below the water surface and seems clumsy; everything from the body posture to his nose is comically contorted. Although the picture is called Den leiken ville han sjå (He wanted to see that game) it does not seem like the man will be content with just looking. He grabs for the bum of one mermaid.

The mermaids look almost at one with the sea, although they are clearly drawn. They are in their element, but the man is clearly out of his.

Audun Hetland (1920-1998) was a draftsman and illustrator, and described life with humor and a sharp pen. He was primarily a newspaper illustrator, but also made major decorations in Oslo, London and Kiel, and illustrated several books. Many of his drawings adorn the walls of the University of Bergen.

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